PETALING JAYA: The answer given by the Higher Education Ministry in Parliament regarding the rising percentage of international student enrolment in local universities is disappointing, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
The MCA president said that obtaining accurate data is crucial to address concerns that qualified local students may be losing out on places in higher learning institutions.
"However, the ministry failed to answer my question. I specifically requested data from when the Open Admission Channel was introduced; yet the ministry only provided figures from 2024 onwards, and even then without breaking them down according to student qualifications.
"This question is crucial in light of the rising number of foreign students entering public universities through the Open Admission Channel," he said in a Facebook post on Thursday (Sept 4).
Dr Wee, who is also Ayer Hitam MP, urged the Higher Education Ministry to provide accurate and comprehensive data, particularly from every public university, with a breakdown of student intake via the UPU (merit-based admissions) system and the open admission channel.
He also called for a breakdown of student qualifications, such as matriculation, foundation, diploma, A-level, or STPM, for those admitted into these programmes.
"This situation indirectly affects local students who seek admission to public universities based on merit," added Dr Wee.
"It must be emphasised that most of these high-achieving local students do not come from wealthy families who can afford to pay high fees," he said.
In a Parliamentary written reply, the Higher Education Ministry said that, according to its MyMoheS System, a total of 4,122 Malaysian students were admitted in 2024 to bachelor’s degree programmes in Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, and Law at public universities.
"Of this number, 1,546 enrolled in Medicine, 352 in Dentistry, 462 in Pharmacy, and 1,762 in Law," it said.
Last month, Dr Wee raised concerns that the sharp rise in foreign student enrolment at public universities is outpacing that of local students, raising red flags about placement allocation.
He highlighted statistics from a recent study by the Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research (Insap), MCA’s research think-tank, which revealed a worrying trend.
According to Insap, the number of Malaysian students enrolling in public universities grew modestly from 2018 to 2024, increasing from 172,719 to 191,450.
This represents a total increase of 10.8%, corresponding to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of just 1.73% per year—a relatively slow rate of growth.
In stark contrast, non-Malaysian student enrolment during the same period rose significantly from 10,003 to 19,731, a jump of 97.3% with a CAGR of 11.99% per year.
